Furnace.



.PATENTED APR. 7, 1908.

5 8HEBTBBHEET 2.

A. SMALLWOOD.

RNAOE. APPLIGA PI B'D SEPT. 10, 190m grad. 9M

AIJI BED SMALLWOOD, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

FURNACE Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 7, 1908.

Application filed September 10, 1906. Serial No. 333,909.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED SMALLWOOD, a subject of the King of GreatBritain, residing at 24 Coleman street, London, E. 0.,- in the county ofMiddlesex, England, formerly of 34 Old Broad street, London, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Furnaces; and I herebydeclare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description ofthe same.

This invention relates to smelting, crucible, heating, annealing andlike furnaces and in kilns for burning and glazing pottery and for otherlike purposes in which a grate, a combustion chamber and heatdistributing passages are combined and has for its object a selfcontained furnace whereby the heat is generated and a number ofcrucibles or articles may be heated from one furnace grate, and by whichonly that portion of the heated gases which is required for the numberof crucibles or articles being heated is used, the heat remaining beingutilized for the crucibles in work or for annealing purposes, that is tosay, supposing the furnace to be constructed to heat five crucibles orother articles and only three were being Worked the heat for the twocrucibles not being worked is utilized as far as necessary by those inwork, while'the heat remaining is utilized for annealing purposes or insome cases and when desirable, a required proportion of the heatgenerated from the one grate may be located to the heating of thecrucibles or reheating of various articles, the remaining portions ofthe heat generated being utilized for annealing purposes or in somecases the whole of the heat generated may be utilized either for theheating process or for the annealing, while the fire grate, the meansfor the combustion of the unconsumed gases and the various chambers forheating the crucibles or other articles and for the annealing processare all self contained in one furnace, in such a manner that the dampingoff or adjust ment of the supply of heat to any one of the heatingdivisions or annealing chamber or chambers can be easily and quicklyeffected. By means of these improvements a more complete utilization ofthe heat generated is obtained with a consequent considerable reductionof the fuel required in proportion to the quantity of work accomplished,while at the same time a large amount of labor is saved by the necessityof only having one furnace grate to stoke instead of a number asheretofore. Such furnaces, which may be worked by ordinary draft orunder pressure from a forced draft into a closed ashpit or grate, alsooccupy considerable less space and are farless costly to construct thanthose of a group which are separately and independently erected.

In order that this invention may be clearly understood and more easilycarried into practice, I have appended hereunto five sheets of drawingsupon which I have illustrated the nature of my said improvements.

Figure 1 is a sectional plan taken through the heating crucible andannealing chambers, of a combined furnace for heating crucibles and thelike and for annealing purposes. Fig. 2 is also a sectional plan of thefurnace illustrated by Fig. 1 but taken through the grate and combustionchambers. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section through Figs. 1 and2. Fig. 4 is a vertical cross section through Fig. 3 on the line 1-2.Fig. 5 is a vertical cross section through Fig. 3 taken on the line 34.Fig. 6 is a vertical section illustrating the application of theseimprovements to a separate furnace for annealing or other like purposes.Fig. 7 is a sectional plan through the heating and annealing chambers ofthe furnace illustrated by Fig. 6.

In carrying this invention into eifect as shown in Fig. 5 the fire grateA is arranged at the one end of the furnace and is divided by a bridge Cfrom a spacious combustion chamber B which extends the whole length ofthe furnace, and the two exits b and b of which are arranged at thereverse end of the chamber to that of the grate as hereafter more fullydescribed.

At the one side of the combustion chamber a horizontal heat chamber E isprovided which is connected at the one end with the exit I) of thecombustion chamber, and above this second chamber the series ofdivisions or chambers F are formed in which the crucibles or otherarticles to be heated are placed a vertical aperture f being formedbetween the horizontal chamber and each of the heating chambers ordivisions for enabling the access of the heatbeing obtained.

An annealing chamber H is formed over the combustion chamber B andadjoining the series of heating chambers F,-While upon the opposite sideof the annealing chamber a horizontal heat chamber J is provided whichis connected with the other exit I; of the combustion chamber and whichis at the same time connected with the annealing chamber by a ertures Kat various intervals in its lengt Both the horizontal heat chamber J andthe annealing chamber H itself are connected at the fire-grate end 3 bya vertical,

fiue H (Fig. 3) to a horizontal jacket fiue M which extends over thewhole of the heating chambers, the annealing ch amber and the flue tothe latter, and which is connected at the reverse end with-the stack orchimney N.

In the case of any of the heating chambers F not being required for use,the apertures f of those particular chambers are closed by fire brickslabs while in the case of the annealing chamber not being required thevarious apertures can be closed in a similar manner from the outside bydampers such as 7c or the points of entrance of the heat into theannealing chamber can be varied by such damper and the heat distributedso as to direct the heated gases to any required point or points in itslength, or such fire brick slabs may be moved into or out of the closedposition through the entrance h to the chamber which is arranged at thereverse end of the furnace to that of the fire grate A.

In some cases the apertures f may be so arranged as to transmit the heatinto the heating chambers F from the sides and in the case of theapertures K into the annealing cham ber H from the top if so desired andin such a manner as to provide a sheet of heat of even temperature allover the annealing chamber H or in some cases for articles which aremore massive at one part than another the application of the heat can beproportionately varied by opening or closing one or more of theapertures'K as before described. Such furnaces may be worked with anatural draft or in some cases by a forced draft in troduced into theash pit or grate which is shut off from the atmosphere and by means ofwhich in combination with suitable dampers for adjusting the size of thevarious exit flues, the combustion, heating and annealing chambers maybe worked under pressure of the heated gases.

In the ap lication of these improvements to kilns for urning and glazingpottery and for other like purposes, the kiln is provided with a firegrate A, a combustion chamber or chambers such as B and a heat chamberor chambers J, the latter of which is connected at various points withthe chamber or chambers which contain the articles to be burned orglazed in a somewhat similar manner to the arrangement hereinbeforedescribed with regard to theannealing chambers H.

Having now described my invention I de clare that what I claim is 1. Asmelting, crucible heating, and annealing furnace, comprising a firegrate, a horizontal combustion chamber in communication therewith, aheat chamber situated above the combustion chamber and communicatingwith the latter at the end remote from the fire grate, an annealingchamber situated adjacent the heat chamber and hava Iglurality ofapertures through one of its wa s, and means for selectively opening andclosing the apertures of the annealing chamber.

2. A smelting, crucible heating, and annealing furnace comprising a firegrate, a horizontal combustion chamber communicating with the firegrate, a horizontal heat chamber in the same lane as the combustionchamber communicating with the latter at the end remote from the firegrate, a plurality of heating chambers separate from one another andsituated above the heat chamber, apertures being formed in the floors ofthe heating chambers communicating with the heat chamber, means forclosing the apertures of the heating chambers when desired, a secondheat chamber situated in a plane above that of the combustion chamber, apassage connecting the second mentioned heat chamber with the combustionchamber, an annealing chamber situated ad jacent the second mentionedheat chamber having apertures in one of its sides communicating with theheat chamber, and means for selectively opening and closing theapertures of the annealing chamber.

3, A smelting, crucible heating, and annealing furnace comprising a firegrate, a horizontal combustion chamber communieating with the firegrate, a horizontal heat chamber in the same plane as the combustionchamber communicating with the latter at the end remote from the firegrate, a plurality of heating chambers separate from one another andsituated above the heat chamber, apertures being formed in the floors ofthe heating chamber communicating with the heat chamber, means forclosing the apertures of the heating chambers when desired, a secondheat chamber situated in a plane above that of the combustion chamber apassage connecting the second mentioned heat chamber with the combustionchamber,

second mentioned heat chamber having apertures in one of its sidescommunicating with the heat chamber, means for selectively opening andclosing the apertures of the annealing chamber, and a horizontal jacketflue situated in a plane above that'of the annealing chamber andcommunicating with the annealing chamber at the fire grate end of thesame.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twowitnesses.

ALFRED SMALLWOOD; Witnesses:

WALTER H. E. BARTLAM, SAMUEL SMITH.

an annealing chamber situated adjacent the

